The shocking state of a flooding blackspot in Lewes is revealed on a video which shows a child briefly submerged in sewage-polluted water.

It was shot by Sarah Neels and shows the boy stumble and go under the surface. An overflowing drain can be seen erupting into the lake of water.

Headache for residents: Flooding at Nevill after a downpour in August

The video, which was shot in July 2016, also highlights the problems faced by drivers negotiating their way through floodwater after heavy rain at the Nevill Estate.

Sarah, Joint Chair of Nevill Residents’ Association, said: “You can see a child wading in water mixed with sewage at waist height on Nevill Green. He slips and goes completely under for a few seconds.

“County flood risk management, Southern Water, and others have seen the footage, but don’t seem that concerned about the danger to life the flooding poses.”

Now action is being taken to try to remedy the serious and long-standing flooding problems in Nevill Road.

The move has been welcomed by local people who have said there is the threat of accidents at the scene.

A spokesperson for East Sussex County Council said on Tuesday: “We received reports of flooding along Nevill Road following recent heavy downpours.

“This week, we are on site jetting and clearing the drains and soakaways in a bid to address this issue. Once work is complete, we will monitor the situation and carry out any further work necessary.”

Alan Chapman, Joint Chair of Nevill Residents’ Association, said: “We are pleased to learn about the pending drainage works to address the worsening issues with flooding on the main road next to the Nevill Crescent.

“It is a pity that we had to get to such a level of risk to the public before the county council was prepared to act. We have seen a number of contractors on site recently but the flooding continues.

“People are contacting us with comments such as ‘Did you see the level of the flood by the Green yesterday? It was awful! I’ve never seen it so high’.

“Others have made their concerns felt on social media - ‘What is happening in Nevill Road! I am so fed up, not being able to get to or leave my house without going through the flood or bog on the other side of the road and yes I know that it is rain but I live at the top of the town ... it shouldn’t flood.’

“Another person commented that ‘Today is the worst flooding here that I can remember. If it wasn’t half term it would be chaos on Nevill Road’.”